Chris Pronger

Chris Pronger
Chris Pronger

Pronger pictured in 2007 after winning the Stanley Cup with the Anaheim Ducks.
Born October 10, 1974 (1974-10-10) (age 37)
Dryden, ON, CAN
Height 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
Weight 220 lb (100 kg; 15 st 10 lb)
Position Defence
Shoots Left
NHL team
Former teams
Philadelphia Flyers
Hartford Whalers
St. Louis Blues
Edmonton Oilers
Anaheim Ducks
National team  Canada
NHL Draft 2nd overall, 1993
Hartford Whalers
Playing career 1993–present
Website ChrisPronger.com

Christopher Robert Pronger (pronounced /ˈprɒŋɡər/ or /ˈprɒŋər/; born October 10, 1974) is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman and captain for the Philadelphia Flyers of the National Hockey League (NHL). Originally selected 2nd overall by the Hartford Whalers in the 1993 NHL Entry Draft, Pronger has played for Hartford, the St. Louis Blues, Edmonton Oilers, and Anaheim Ducks before being traded to the Flyers before the 2009–10 season, having also captained the Blues and Ducks during that time. He has appeared in the Stanley Cup finals with three different teams (Edmonton, Anaheim, and Philadelphia), winning the Cup with the Ducks in 2007. Pronger won the Hart Trophy as the league's most valuable player (for the 1999–2000 season) and was the first defenceman to win the award since Bobby Orr in 1972. A mainstay on Team Canada, Pronger won Olympic gold medals at Salt Lake City 2002 and Vancouver 2010 and is a member of the Triple Gold Club. Pronger is also one of only two former Whalers still active in the NHL (the other is goaltender Jean-Sébastien Giguère of the Colorado Avalanche).

Contents

Playing career

Early years

Pronger was born in Dryden to Jim and Eila Pronger, an immigrant from Finland. Before entering the Junior ranks in Ontario he grew up playing minor hockey in his hometown. As a 15-year old, he was identified through the Ontario U-17 program and signed with the Stratford Cullitons Jr. B (OHA) club for the 1990–91 season. One of his defence partners in Stratford was future NHLer Greg DeVries.

In May 1991, Pronger indicated he was going to join his older brother Sean at Bowling Green State University (NCAA) instead of opting for the OHL. Regardless of his pre-draft indications, Pronger was selected in the 6th round by the Peterborough Petes in the OHL Priority Selection. He subsequently reported to the Petes and played two years in the OHL before being selected in the 1993 NHL Entry Draft.

After two outstanding seasons with the Peterborough Petes of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL), and because of being highly regarded for his rare combination of imposing size, speed, offensive skill (particularly on the power play) and physicality as a defenceman, Pronger was selected second overall by the Hartford Whalers in the 1993 NHL Entry Draft, behind Alexandre Daigle, who made the infamous statement, "I'm glad I got drafted first, because no one remembers number two."[1]

Hartford Whalers and St. Louis Blues

He made his debut in the 1993–94 NHL season, playing 81 games for the Whalers and earning a spot on the NHL All-Rookie Team. However, Pronger was arrested for drunk driving, involved in a barroom brawl, and was considered by some to be impatient and immature.[2] After a second season in Hartford, he was traded to the St. Louis Blues for star forward Brendan Shanahan on July 27, 1995.

In the early years of his St. Louis career, Pronger played under coach and general manager Mike Keenan. He would eventually become the team's captain, from 1997–2003.

In his third season with St. Louis, at age 23, Pronger was again named to the All-Star team. That year Pronger also had a brief cardiac arrest during the 1998 Stanley Cup Playoffs when he was hit in the chest with a puck in a game against the Detroit Red Wings.[3] Prior to this he played for the Canadian Olympic team in Nagano. In 1999–2000, Pronger recorded a career-high 62 points and a +52 rating. His efforts culminated in a Norris and Hart Trophy at the end of the season. Pronger beat Art Ross winner Jaromír Jágr by just one point in Hart Trophy voting, which was, at the time, the smallest margin of victory in the history of the award. (Two years later, Jarome Iginla and José Théodore tied in overall voting; Théodore won with more first-place votes.)[4] Pronger was also named to the First All-Star Team.

Pronger notched 47 points the next season, but appeared in only 51 games due to injury problems. In February 2002, he won a gold medal with the Canadian Olympic Team in the Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City. That same year in the NHL, he had another fine season and played in the All-Star Game once again. But injuries became a problem again in 2002–03, limiting him to just five games played. Pronger bounced back with another quality season in 2003–04. Following the 2004–05 NHL lockout and imposition of the NHL salary cap, the Blues traded Pronger to the Edmonton Oilers for defencemen Eric Brewer, Jeff Woywitka and Doug Lynch. While the Blues needed to reduce team salaries to make it easier to sell the team, the Oilers were able to sign Pronger to a five-year, $31.25 million contract.

Edmonton Oilers

Pronger was selected to play for Team Canada at the 2006 Winter Olympics, marking his third consecutive Olympic Games. The Oilers went to the Stanley Cup Final that same year. On June 5, 2006, in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals against the Carolina Hurricanes, Pronger became the first player in NHL history to score a penalty shot goal in a Stanley Cup Final game. The Oilers lost in game seven, with Pronger scoring a team-leading 21 points (5 goals, 16 assists) in 24 games, as well as a team leading plus/minus rating of +10 during the playoffs.

On June 23, 2006, Pronger requested a trade through his agent, Pat Morris, from the Edmonton Oilers. Edmonton GM Kevin Lowe said that the request was due to personal reasons,[5] while media outlets[6][7] reported that Pronger's wife, Lauren, was not happy in Edmonton. The controversy surrounding Pronger's trade request has led many to describe him as "Public Enemy No.1" in Edmonton.[8][9][10][11] On July 3, Pronger was traded to the Anaheim Ducks for forward Joffrey Lupul, defensive prospect Ladislav Šmíd, Anaheim's 2007 first-round draft pick (traded to the Phoenix Coyotes, picked Nick Ross), a conditional first-round draft pick (dependent on the Ducks reaching the Stanley Cup Finals in the next 3 years, which they did, becoming forward Jordan Eberle),[12] and Anaheim's 2008 second-round draft pick (later traded to the New York Islanders).

Anaheim Ducks

Chris Pronger with Anaheim.

In 2007, Pronger played an important role for the Ducks run as they reached the Stanley Cup Finals and later won the championship. It was also Pronger's second straight finals appearance. During the Conference Finals, Pronger was suspended for one game for a check on Detroit Red Wings winger Tomas Holmström.[13] He later criticized the Canadian media's coverage of the incident.[14] In the final round, Pronger was suspended for one game for elbowing Ottawa Senators winger Dean McAmmond in the head during game 3.[15] With the Stanley Cup victory he became a member of the Triple Gold Club.

On September 28, 2007, Pronger was named the captain of the Ducks, replacing Scott Niedermayer.[11][16] Although Niedermayer returned to the lineup later in the season, Pronger remained captain until the start of next season when Niedermayer was re-named captain. Pronger retained a role as alternate captain.

On March 12, 2008, Pronger was involved in an incident with Vancouver's Ryan Kesler. Pronger, after being tangled up with Kesler behind the Anaheim blue line, stomped unnecessarily on Kesler's leg. Kesler was not injured, and upon initial review the NHL did not suspend Pronger. However, upon new video evidence, which provided a better angle, the league once again reviewed the incident and gave Pronger an 8 game suspension. He returned to the ice April 6 against the Phoenix Coyotes in Anaheim's last regular season game of the year.[17]

The 2008–09 season was quite successful for Pronger who played his 1000th career game on February 20, 2009. The Ducks would rally late in the season to jump into 8th place of the Western conference. They dispatched the President's Trophy winner San Jose Sharks in six games before falling to the Detroit Red Wings in seven games. Pronger had 2 goals and 8 assists in 13 playoff games.

Philadelphia Flyers

On June 27, 2009, Pronger, along with forward Ryan Dingle, was traded to the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for Lupul (earlier traded to Edmonton for Pronger in 2006), the rights to defenceman Luca Sbisa, two first round draft picks and a conditional third round draft pick. Ten days later, Pronger signed a seven-year contract extension that will most likely see him finish his career in Philadelphia.[18] Nearly a month after signing, the NHL announced they had launched an investigation on Pronger's deal to determine whether it was a circumvention of the salary cap under the collective bargaining agreement. Because the contract is front-loaded, with annual salaries of just $525,000 in the final two years, and expires by the time Pronger is 42, the investigation was launched with the focus on the potential of negotiations between Pronger and the Flyers to retire before contract expiration.[19] However, as Pronger's contract took effect after his 35th birthday, under the terms of the current collective bargaining agreement, his over-35 contract cannot be deleted from the Flyers' cap space unless he is placed on long-term injured reserve, and even then it would come back on the team's cap space during the offseason.

On December 30, 2009, Pronger was selected to play for Team Canada at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. He served as one of the team's alternate captains, along with Sidney Crosby and Jarome Iginla.[20] The team won the gold-medal that year. Pronger became the leader for most Olympic games played for Canada after playing his 25th Olympic Game on February 28, 2010.

In the NHL regular season, the Flyers qualified for the playoffs on the last day of the season with a shootout win against the New York Rangers. However, a playoff run marked by an upset of the New Jersey Devils, an astounding comeback against the Boston Bruins from down 0-3 in the series and a thumping of the Montreal Canadiens would culminate in the Flyers playing the Chicago Blackhawks in the 2010 Stanley Cup Finals. Though the Flyers lost 4-2, it was another achievement for Pronger who had a strong playoff performance and lead a team that traded for him to the Finals for the third time in a row. Conversely, his former team continued another bizarre streak, as the Anaheim Ducks missed the playoffs. No team that traded Pronger away qualified for the playoffs the following year. Pronger has made the playoffs with every team that he has played for, except for the Whalers, and in every season, again except for the Whalers.

Following the playoffs, Pronger underwent arthroscopic knee surgery.[21] Pronger missed the first two games of the 2010–11 season. Various other injuries would limit Pronger to just 50 games, marking the first time that Pronger missed significant time since the 2002–03 season, where Pronger missed 77 games. On September 16, 2011, Pronger was named the 18th captain in Philadelphia Flyers history, replacing Mike Richards.

Personal life

He and his wife Lauren have two sons, Jack Hunter (b. 2001) and George William (b. 2004), and one daughter, Lilah Marie, who was born on July 23, 2008.[22][23] He lived in Irvine, California, while playing for the Anaheim Ducks.[24] Pronger now resides in Haddonfield, New Jersey, while playing for the Philadelphia Flyers. He appears on the cover of NHL Hitz 20-03.

Transactions

Pronger playing at the 2010 Winter Olympics.

Awards

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

    Regular season   Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
1991–92 Peterborough Petes OHL 63 17 45 62 90 10 1 8 9 28
1992–93 Peterborough Petes OHL 61 15 62 77 108 21 15 25 40 51
1993–94 Hartford Whalers NHL 81 5 25 30 113
1994–95 Hartford Whalers NHL 43 5 9 14 54
1995–96 St. Louis Blues NHL 78 7 18 25 110 13 1 5 6 16
1996–97 St. Louis Blues NHL 79 11 24 35 143 6 1 1 2 22
1997–98 St. Louis Blues NHL 81 9 27 36 180 10 1 9 10 26
1998–99 St. Louis Blues NHL 67 13 33 46 113 13 1 4 5 28
1999–00 St. Louis Blues NHL 79 14 48 62 92 7 3 4 7 32
2000–01 St. Louis Blues NHL 51 8 39 47 75 15 1 7 8 32
2001–02 St. Louis Blues NHL 78 7 40 47 120 9 1 7 8 24
2002–03 St. Louis Blues NHL 5 1 3 4 10 7 1 3 4 14
2003–04 St. Louis Blues NHL 80 14 40 54 88 5 0 1 1 16
2004–05 DNPLockout NHL
2005–06 Edmonton Oilers NHL 80 12 44 56 74 24 5 16 21 26
2006–07 Anaheim Ducks NHL 66 13 46 59 69 18 3 12 15 26
2007–08 Anaheim Ducks NHL 72 12 31 43 128 6 2 3 5 12
2008–09 Anaheim Ducks NHL 82 11 37 48 88 13 2 8 10 12
2009–10 Philadelphia Flyers NHL 82 10 45 55 79 23 4 14 18 36
2010–11 Philadelphia Flyers NHL 50 4 21 25 44 3 0 1 1 4
NHL totals 1154 156 530 686 1580 173 26 95 121 326

International

Medal record
Competitor for Canada Canada
Men's ice hockey
Olympic Games
Gold 2002 Salt Lake City Ice hockey
Gold 2010 Vancouver Ice hockey
World Championships
Gold 1997 Finland Ice hockey
World Junior Championships
Gold 1993 Sweden Ice hockey
Year Team Event   GP G A Pts PIM
1993 Canada WJC 7 1 3 4 6
1997 Canada WC 9 0 2 2 4
1998 Canada Oly 6 0 0 0 4
2002 Canada Oly 6 0 1 1 2
2006 Canada Oly 6 1 2 3 16
2010 Canada Oly 7 0 5 5 2
Senior int'l totals 34 1 10 11 36

All-Star Games

Year Location   G A P
1999 Tampa Bay 0 2 2
2000 Toronto 0 0 0
2001 Colorado
2002 Los Angeles 0 1 1
2004 Minnesota 0 0 0
2008 Atlanta 0 0 0
All-Star totals 0 3 3

Notes

  1. ^ Foster, Chris (2007-06-02). "Alexandre wasn't all that great". LA Times. http://articles.latimes.com/2007/jun/02/sports/sp-briefing2. Retrieved 2008-07-13. 
  2. ^ Wigge, Larry (2006). "Pronger twists, turns into champion". NHL.com. http://www.nhl.com/columns/wigge/pronger060906.html. Retrieved 2007-02-26. [dead link]
  3. ^ Dan Patrick:Outtakes: Chris Pronger (uncut)
  4. ^ Smith, Cheryl M, ed (2000). FaceOff 2001 NHL Yearbook. Toronto: Worldsport Properties, Inc.. pp. 5. 
  5. ^ "Pronger trade request overshadows Oilers draft". NHL.com. 2006. http://www.nhl.com/news/2006/06/275760.html. Retrieved 2007-02-26. [dead link]
  6. ^ Tychkowski, Robert (2006-06-24). "Pronger's agent confirms he wants a trade". edmontonsun.com. http://www.edmontonsun.com/Sports/Oilers/2006/06/24/1650808-sun.html. Retrieved 2007-06-04. [dead link]
  7. ^ Ireland, Joanne (2006-06-25). "Trade must strengthen Oilers". The Edmonton Journal. http://www.canada.com/edmontonjournal/news/sports/news/story.html?id=542a5646-0900-4f07-851b-0dcca2b6fdb1&k=81023. Retrieved 2007-06-04. 
  8. ^ The Calgary Sun
  9. ^ CANOE – SLAM! Sports – Hockey NHL – Phoenix – He's public enemy No. 2
  10. ^ "Pronger: 'I knew I'd be Public Enemy No. 1'". ESPN.com. 2006. http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/news/story?id=2594778. Retrieved 2007-02-26. 
  11. ^ a b CANOE – SLAM! Sports – Hockey NHL – Edmonton – Edmonton awaits Pronger's return
  12. ^ Oilers watching Ducks' success closely
  13. ^ Ducks' Pronger suspended one game
  14. ^ Pronger speaks out on Game 4 suspension
  15. ^ Ducks' Pronger suspended one game
  16. ^ "Ducks Name Pronger Team Captain". Anaheim Ducks. 2007. http://ducks.nhl.com/team/app/?service=page&page=NewsPage&articleid=338565. Retrieved 2007-09-28. 
  17. ^ "NHL reviews Pronger stomp after getting clearer video of incident". Canadian Press. 2008. http://canadianpress.google.com/article/ALeqM5j_ZLpPYot-w6lJKdgrdHgvfY9Ijg. Retrieved 2008-03-14. 
  18. ^ http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/2009/07/07/pronger_extension_flyers/
  19. ^ "Sources:NHL investigates Marion Hossa, Chris Pronger contracts". ESPN. 2009-08-01. http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/news/story?id=4369897. Retrieved 2009-10-16. 
  20. ^ "Canadian Olympic Hockey Team: 2010 Roster Released". Huntington Post. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/12/30/canadian-olympic-hockey-t_n_407458.html. Retrieved 2009-12-30. 
  21. ^ "Arthroscopic knee surgery successful for Pronger". NHL.com. http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=535440. Retrieved 2010-09-13. 
  22. ^ http://downloads.ducks.nhl.com/other/ANAplayoffguide09.pdf
  23. ^ http://www.hockeycanada.ca/index.php?ci_id=11737&la_id=1&ss_id=22222&player_id=12378
  24. ^ Lansner, Jon (2007-12-06). "Shady Canyon's last lot goes for $1.9 million". Orange County Register. http://lansner.freedomblogging.com/2007/12/06/shady-canyons-last-lot-is-sold/. Retrieved 2008-05-08. 

External links

Awards and achievements
Preceded by
Jaromir Jagr
Hart Trophy winner
2000
Succeeded by
Joe Sakic
Preceded by
Al MacInnis
Norris Trophy winner
2000
Succeeded by
Nicklas Lidstrom
Preceded by
John LeClair
Winner of the NHL Plus/Minus Award
2000
Succeeded by
Joe Sakic and Patrik Elias
Preceded by
John LeClair
Winner of the NHL Plus/Minus Award
1998
Succeeded by
John LeClair
Preceded by
Róbert Petrovický
Hartford Whalers first round draft pick
1993
Succeeded by
Jeff O'Neill
Preceded by
Wayne Gretzky
St. Louis Blues captain
19972003
Al MacInnis*, 2002–03
Succeeded by
Al MacInnis
Preceded by
Scott Niedermayer
Anaheim Ducks captain
2007–08
Succeeded by
Scott Niedermayer
Preceded by
Mike Richards
Philadelphia Flyers captain
2011–present
Incumbent

*NOTE: Al MacInnis served as captain for nearly the entire 2002–03 NHL season, while Pronger was injured and out of the line-up. Pronger resigned the captaincy at the start of the 2003–04 NHL season, in favour of MacInnis, but resumed the captaincy after MacInnis suffered a career-ending injury.


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